October 10, 2008

Does Sean Hannity Hate America?

After the presidential debate last Tuesday night, Obama spokesperson Robert Gibbs engaged in contretemps with the archconservative radio and television personality Sean Hannity over Hannity’s decision to include Andy Martin (nee Anthony Martin-Trigona) on Hannity’s show Obama & Friends: The History of Radicalism. At issue were Martin’s remarks, as quoted by Gibbs, that a Jewish judge was “a crooked, slimy Jew with a history of lying and thieving common to his race…” among others. Gibbs raised the legitimate question, “Why would Sean Hannity choose to associate with such a person?”

You can watch the exchange here:

But Gibbs’ legitimate question about Hannity’s character raised some further troubling questions about Hannity’s known associates. When taken together, what emerges is a pattern of associating with known criminals, adulterers, perjurers, consumers of prostitution, and worst of all, those who would knowingly compromise our national security.

Even a casual listener to Hannity’s radio show will hear contributions from the following rogue’s gallery:

Dick Morris: A Republican strategist and one-time advisor to President Clinton, Morris resigned from the latter position after it was revealed that he allowed a prostitute to eavesdrop on private conversations with the president of the United States, an obvious breach of national security. According to the Washington Post, Sherry Rowlands, the prostitute, said of the incident. “Someone as intelligent as he is should have kept his lip buttoned when he unzipped his pants. I mean, how can you maneuver worlds, and he can't even control what he's doing in his own room with a paid lady” She then went on to say in an interview with the television show Hard Copy that she went public because "it has to be told, whether I'm a call girl who'll blabber or whatever they want to call it, fine. But wake up, America. I mean, if he told me, who else did he tell?" Who else, indeed? Thank God for this patriotic prostitute who didn’t go running off to the highest bidder for her national secrets. And yet, Sean Hannity allows Morris on both his radio and television shows on a regular basis. How can Hannity condone such behavior? Why does Sean Hannity have such low regard for the national security of this country? But Morris is hardly the worst of Hannity’s associates.

Take Oliver North. Like Morris, North is a regular contributor to Hannity’s radio and television programs. North, of course, is most famous for illegally selling weapons to Iran! To Iran, the country whose current president calls for the annihilation of Israel, our closest Middle Eastern ally and (not coincidentally?) a Jewish state! North also admitted to lying to Congress, a felony, and was later indicted on sixteen felony counts and convicted of three: accepting an illegal gratuity (bribery), aiding and abetting in the obstruction of a congressional inquiry (lying under oath), and destruction of documents (national security documents). How can Hannity associate with a man who sold weapons to Iran, a country that Hannity claims to believe is a massive threat to our way of life? Further, although never formally charged, there is a tremendous amount of evidence suggesting that North at least partially funded his operations through smuggling cocaine! North has repeatedly denied any involvement with drug smuggling, but can we really believe a man who lied under oath to the United States Congress? Why would Sean Hannity, a “Great American” condone these acts?

Then there is Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House and regular contributor to Hannity’s radio and television shows. Gingrich ran into ethics problems during his tenure as Speaker not once, not twice, but eighty-four times. Eighty-four separate ethics charged were leveled against the speaker during his tenure! After investigation, he was sanctioned $300,000.00 for providing “inaccurate information to investigators” (lying to Congress)! Furthermore, Gingrich, like Morris, is an admitted adulterer. Why would Hannity choose to associate with a man with so little regard for person or professional ethical behavior? Somebody who would lie to the United States Congress, a body of which he was the head? Couldn’t such a man, privy to our nation’s highest secrets, also himself be easily compromised by a foreign entity or government? I’m not saying he was, but the troubling possibility is certainly out there. Doesn’t this reflect poor judgment on Hannity to allow such a person on his shows?

Hannity talks a good game when it comes to “loving America,” but his actions reveal a far more sinister pattern of, at best, reckless behavior and poor judgment when it comes to choosing friends and associates. Shouldn’t our national security be of paramount importance to somebody who claims to love this country as much as Sean Hannity? Shouldn’t he be doing everything in his power to stop the threat of Iran instead of condoning the actions of those who sold weapons to that country? Why is he giving a platform to a known anti-Semite? Shouldn’t he uphold his own high principles by refusing to associate with adulterers and those who would allow prostitutes to eavesdrop on the president of the United States? I cannot look into Sean Hannity’s heart, but if his actions are any indication about his patriotism, I think we are left with the troubling question: does Sean Hannity hate America?

You raise some incredible points about Hannity's integrity, and have successfully pointed the proverbial finger back at this hypocritical troll. I passionately dislike Hannity (and those created in his image). It's a tragedy that he has such a powerful podium in which to sputter his ugliness. Truth be told, the entire "Fixed News" staff makes me want to bathe in liquid Zoloft.

This segment of his broadcast with Gibbs I saw on Olbermann and found myself muttering: "Shut up Sean. Let him talk. Shut UP Sean, let him TALK!"

You know, not only should assholes be sued on their assholeness factor, but rude people as well. He would, of course, fall into both categories.

Michael Ian Black, you never cease to amaze me. You are not only witty, but also wise. You make me wanna wink at you over and over again.

The tactics that these idiots have turned to reminds me of a not so famous quote and this video....

"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie." Joseph Goebbels

Black, these always blow me away. You're kind of scary when you get serious & political -- in a cool way. I can't hold my temper at bay long enough to wax political like this -- it just ends up being blustery ranting.

Alright, so I didn't quite read everything you wrote yet but I just had to say that Newt Gingrich is a dirty old man. I was at a book signing once and he kept staring at my chest and grinning. I mean, that happens a lot with the chest and grinning but it's just gross when it's an old political man. If it was just an old man (aka David Bowie) it was be fine. But EWW.
(For the record, the book wasn't for me it was a gift for a family member.)

The biggest issue here is that these baseless character attacks have little to do with a man's abilities. We are just throwing out the baby with the bath water when we judge a man's character simply on the company he keeps rather than on his words and actions.

Serving with Ayers is just as easily explained as someone who is tolerant enough to sit next to people he doesn't like in order to get the job done. I associate with people all the time whose choices and actions I don't agree with. Some of that is because I have to (work), some because I need to (church), some because I want to (because there's no other decent presence in their lives). It is a sad measure, and it makes me sad that McCain would allow this when he has spoken out about dirty mudslinging in the past. If he will cave on this, letting dirty politics, something he's always objected to, sully his campaign based on political pressure, what else will he do? Sad.

Ok, now that's the McCain I've always respected. I don't think he's the best candidate, I think his economic policies are elitist and his plan for Iraq is misguided, but I have always thought he was a good guy. I'm glad to see he's regaining his composure. Good for him.